Privacy Policy

1. Overview

America.co (“America.co,” “America House,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) builds media, civic technology, community, and public-engagement platforms — including this website, America House events, our forum, our gallery, our newsletters, and related digital tools (collectively, the “Services”) — that help people understand government and politics, discover and evaluate leaders and ideas, and coordinate around the future they want.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use the Services, how we use and share it, and the choices available to you. By using the Services, you agree to the practices described here. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.

2. Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

• Contact details — name, email address, phone number, and mailing address when you join our list, apply to work with us, RSVP for an event, or contact us.
• Account & community content — profile information, posts, comments, polls, and submissions on our forum, gallery, or civic-tech tools.
• Applications & submissions — resumes, portfolios, pitches, or other materials submitted through Work With Us or admin-submission forms.
• America Combinator applications — founder and startup names, phone number, project introduction, and any optional website, email, location, stage, participation preference, deck, or video links you submit. We store these privately with our hosting and database providers to review partnership fit and contact you about your application. Applications are not public listings or marketing signups. Please do not submit trade secrets or sensitive personal data.
• Payment information — where applicable (e.g., event tickets, merchandise, donations), processed by a third-party payment processor. We do not store full card numbers on our own servers.
• Correspondence — anything you send us directly, including emails, Telegram messages, or social media DMs.

Information Collected Automatically

• Device & usage data — IP address, browser type, device identifiers, pages viewed, referring URLs, and timestamps.
• Cookies & similar technologies — see Section 5 below.
• Analytics data — aggregated and de-identified metrics on how the Services are used, via tools such as standard web analytics providers.

Information From Other Sources

• Publicly available civic and government data used to power our civic-technology tools (e.g., public polling, election, and legislative data). This is not information about you individually unless you choose to interact with it.
• Information from coalition partners or third-party platforms (e.g., event ticketing or social platforms) when you interact with our content there.

3. How We Use Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Operate, maintain, and improve the Services, including the forum, gallery, civic-tech tools, and events;
• Communicate with you about updates, events, opportunities, and community activity;
• Process applications, submissions, RSVPs, and orders;
• Personalize content and understand how people engage with our civic media and tools;
• Maintain the security and integrity of the Services and prevent abuse, fraud, or spam;
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service; and
• Produce aggregated, de-identified public-interest research and reporting (e.g., about civic engagement trends). Aggregated data does not identify you personally.

We do not sell your personal information. We are a civic and media organization, not a candidate, campaign committee, or political action committee, and we do not use your information to conduct regulated political fundraising on behalf of any candidate.

4. How We Share Information

We may share information with:

• Service providers who host our website, process payments, send email, or provide analytics — bound by confidentiality and data-protection obligations;
• Coalition & civic partners listed in our Coalition Ecosystem, only where you have chosen to interact with their tools or content, and only to the extent necessary for that interaction;
• Legal & safety purposes — when required by law, subpoena, or legal process, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of America.co, our community, or the public;
• Business transfers — in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to standard confidentiality protections; and
• With your consent — for any other purpose disclosed to you at the time of collection.

Content you post publicly on the forum, gallery, or comparable community features (e.g., posts, comments, submissions) is, by design, visible to other users and the public. Please do not share information there that you want to keep private.

Veterans flag board: we store the display name, community-service mission, optional public social-profile links, consent version, and submission timestamps you provide. Submissions and subsequent edits are private while awaiting review. Approved names, missions, profiles, and submission dates appear on the public board. We do not require an email address, service records, or proof of military service. We store a cryptographic hash of your private edit token, not the token itself. Anyone with your private edit link can change or withdraw your flag, so keep it private; we cannot email a lost link back to you. Withdrawal removes the flag from public display but does not erase the stored record. Contact us using Section 14 for a data-removal request. Hashed network-address identifiers and short-lived request counts are used to limit abuse. The separate downloadable project planner stays in your browser and is not submitted to us.

5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember preferences, understand aggregate usage of the Services, and measure the performance of our content. You can control cookies through your browser settings; disabling cookies may limit some features of the Services (such as staying signed in to the forum).

6. Community, Forum & Public Content

The People's Trillion: project proposals, public applicant names, requested amounts, supporting links, and funding plans are public. Ranked ballots are stored on our Vercel-connected Neon database using the same random browser-session cookie as the Common Sense Board. Other visitors see aggregate counts and allocations, not your individual ballot. The secure session cookie lasts up to one year; clearing it or using a different browser creates a different identity. A hashed network identifier is used for short-lived abuse-rate limits. These browser identities do not verify an individual person or their eligibility for funding.

Project videos: optional video uploads are stored publicly on Vercel Blob and linked to your submission session. Anyone with the file URL can view them, including before you finish publishing a proposal. Only upload content you have permission to share, with the consent of people featured, and do not include private information. A linked video stays on its original hosting service; opening it is subject to that service's privacy practices. Contact us to request removal of your uploaded video or proposal.

Our forum, gallery, and related community features are designed as open spaces for civic conversation. Anything you post there — including your username, comments, and submissions — may be visible to other members and to the public, may be indexed by search engines, and may be quoted or featured elsewhere on the Services. Moderators may review, remove, or restrict content that violates our community guidelines or Terms of Service.

7. Events & America House Visits

National Convention interest list: we privately store your name, phone number, participation preference, optional website and note, contact consent, and a receipt reference with our hosting and database providers. We use this information to plan the convention and contact you about it. This is not a public attendee list, voter registration, ticket purchase, or consent to unrelated marketing. Do not include voting preferences, government identifiers, or sensitive personal details. Event participation never requires telling us whether or how you vote. You may request correction or removal through the contact details below.

If you RSVP for or attend an America House event, we may collect your name, contact information, and, where applicable, photos or video taken at the event for use in our media and marketing. If you would prefer not to appear in event media, let our team know on-site or contact us using the details in Section 14.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to operate the Services, fulfill the purposes described in this policy, and comply with legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. When information is no longer needed, we delete or anonymize it.

9. Your Rights & Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or export your personal information, or to object to or restrict certain processing. To exercise these rights, contact us via Work With Us. You may also:

• Unsubscribe from marketing emails using the link in any message we send;
• Update or delete your community profile through your account settings, where available; and
• Opt out of non-essential cookies through your browser.

10. Children's Privacy

The Services are intended for a general adult audience and are not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

11. Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Third-Party Links & Coalition Partners

The Services may link to third-party websites, tools, or coalition partners (such as those in our Coalition Ecosystem). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing information to them.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, operational, or regulatory reasons. We will post the updated policy here with a new “Last Updated” date, and where changes are material, we will provide additional notice.

14. Contact Us

Questions, requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices can be directed to:

America House, Inc.
Via our Work With Us page for general inquiries.